


More Than This - Pool Party

by TheEmpressAR



Series: "Deleted Scenes" #TeenLawRusso - Complete [2]
Category: Cobra Kai (Web Series), Karate Kid (Movies)
Genre: #TeenLawRusso, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Jealousy, M/M, Secret Relationship, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-05
Updated: 2018-06-05
Packaged: 2019-05-18 16:32:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14856267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheEmpressAR/pseuds/TheEmpressAR
Summary: Johnny and Daniel "run into" each other at Ali's pool party.





	More Than This - Pool Party

**Author's Note:**

> Part of my new series "Deleted Scenes" ! Not sure how long or how far I'm going to take these but these are some notions that are fluttering through my head at the moment! I hope you all EMPjoy them!! These are mostly going to be #TeenLawRusso stories. I might have to start another series for #AdultLawRusso. The flashbacking is going to go all over the place, so I hope it doesn't get too confusing. This series is spawning off of my main story "Eye in the Sky" so, please go and read that story first, if you have not :) 
> 
> Most of these I believe will be drabbles or glimpses into their daily lives before and a little after the Tournament in The Karate Kid.

_More Than This_  
_It was fun for a while_  
_There was no way of knowing_  
_Like dream in the night_  
_Who can say where we're going_  
_No care in the world_  
_Maybe I'm learning_  
_Why the sea on the tide_  
_Has no way of turning_

Pool Party

  
“I’m so excited!!” Please tell me you’re coming!

“You’ve only asked me eight times since this morning.”

“So does that mean you’re saying yes?”

“I don’t know…I really don’t have a swimsuit…and have you seen this body?”

“I’m hoping to…”

“Yeah…well you just might change your mind after you see this scrawny physique in a speedo.” Daniel said flexing his muscles.

Ali laughed and punched him lightly in the chest. “It can’t be all that bad…” She looked him over and raised her eyebrow. “On second thought…”

“Hey!”

“So…?”

“I’ll think about it…alright?”

Daniel wrapped his arms low around Ali’s waist and leaned back, looking at her smiling back at him. They were standing in the middle of the breezeway on their way to their next class.

“Did you know you were beautiful?”

“I think you may have told me once or twice.”

“Well…I’m just reminding you…again.” He gave her a kiss on her nose and sent her on her way. He watched her walk down the breezeway, waving when she turned back to look at him. He turned around and glanced out at the courtyard. The tell-tale black headband and blond flop of hair gave away the figure that was sitting on a fallen tree trunk in the middle of the yard. Hands shoved deeply into the pockets of his jeans he was shooting daggers in Daniel’s direction. His face was reddened, his paleness betraying every emotion splashed out on his skin. His group of cronies were nowhere around him. He just seemed to be sitting there watching the scene in front of him. Daniel didn’t know how to respond. He worried his lower lip pulling it in between his teeth, looking for a way out of the situation. Before he had a chance, Johnny pushed himself off of the trunk, kicked at the dirt in frustration and walked away in the other direction. A twinge of longing to go after him moved through Daniel. He shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. He promised himself he would be stronger. He shoved his hands in his own pockets and went in the opposite direction.

Saturday, Daniel woke up to the sounds of the phone ringing by his bedside. He groaned as beams of sunlight hit him in the eyes through the blinds of his tiny apartment window. He shielded his eyes and fumbled for the receiver. He picked up the phone and tried to focus.

“Hello?”

“Daniel…where are you??”

“Who…who is this?”

“Who do you think it is…it’s Ali…silly!”

“OH…yeah…hey…what’s going on?”

“Daniel…you’re supposed to be here! I can’t do this without you…” She giggled over the phone.

“Hey I’m no life of the party...”

“Don’t sell yourself short! Plus you gotta be here to stop Jonathan Lebowitz from hitting on me.”

“Oh…well that makes a lot of sense now…wouldn’t want Lebowitz stealin’ my girl…oh shit…”

“What??”

“I forgot…I’m gonna have to have my mom drop me off there. Great.”

“That’s ok, Daniel! I’m not worried if you’re not. It’s just going to be a small gathering…just a few kids from school.”

“Great…I’ll see you in an hour.”

\-------  
The thundering sound of a car backfiring announced Daniel’s arrival at Ali’s house in Encino Hills. Several heads peeked out from behind blinds and Daniel pushed his lower in the seat. He covered his eyes with his shades and ducked out of his car. His mom smiled at him from behind the wheel...

“Sorry hun…been meaning to get that fixed.”

“Yeah I know ma…”

“Have a good time today, remember your sunscreen. Soak in some of these California rays!”

“Got it, ma…”

Daniel slammed the car door. Thankfully the car was still running and he didn’t need to push it up the street. He made his way up the walk to Ali’s front door. He rang the bell and looked nervously around the neighborhood. There were several cars parked in the drive and along the road. He wondered if they were all here for the party. He quickly removed his shades when he heard the door unlocking. He tucked them in his bag and ran a hand through his wavy black hair.

The door opened and Ali’s mom looked at him, confused, as if she was trying to remember who he was and what he was doing there.

“The help usually goes around the back. You should have been here this morning.”

“Uh hi…Mrs. Mills….I’m Daniel…Ali’s friend?”

“OH…Oh of course…I do apologize…come in, please!” She stepped aside allowing Daniel to pass. Her arched eyebrow barely contained her displeasure at her daughter’s choice of friends.

Daniel was dressed in khaki pants and a checkered button down shirt. He fidgeted with his bag, not sure what to do with it, or what to do next. He looked out of a large bay window leading to the backyard. He saw lots of bodies, young adults and old milling around a huge pool. There were a lot of people in the pool and a few more adults standing by a barbecue pit. He heard sounds of laughter and talking and loud music overlapping.

“Daniel…why don’t you go to the changing room and put on your suit? I’ll let Ali know that you’re here. You can just leave everything in your bag and Consuela will take care of it for you.”

“Uhm…thanks, Mrs. Mills.” Daniel stuttered and went to the room she indicated. He emerged ten minutes later dressed only in a pair of knee-length swim trunks. His skinny brown body stood out in the stark whiteness of the kitchen and it was at least 30 below zero in their home. Goosebumps had begun to form on his flesh and he rocked nervously on his feet, flapping his arms across his bare chest.

Mrs. Mills opened the double doors leading to the back patio and Daniel trailed behind her, trying to remain unnoticed. A sea of blond heads greeted him. So many California natives all in one location, his olive-colored skin and jet black hair clearly stuck out like a sore thumb. He anxiously scanned the area for Ali. He was out of his element here.

He saw her sitting hunched over on a neon orange-colored plastic lounge chair. She was studying her nails and looking out over the pool in disappointment. She wore a red one-piece swimsuit, her blonde curly hair pulled back in a neon green banana clip. Daniel smiled for the first time since arriving. He excused himself and walked briskly over to where Ali was sitting. He ignored the looks he was receiving as he made his way over.

“Hey…what’s all this?” He said indicating the crowd of people. He tried to keep his tone light but he was clearly uncomfortable with the situation.

“Oh…Daniel…I’m SO SORRY!” Ali said standing up, wringing her hands. “These are my dad’s friends and their kids. I didn’t know he was going to do this. I swear.” She frowned in the direction of her father who was at the barbecue pit lording over the party with his meat skewer in his hand.

“Hey…really…it’s no big deal! So what’s a few more people? We can have our own fun!”

Ali looked back at him concern and disappointment still on her face.

“What’s wrong?”

“Daniel…I’m really sorry…there was nothing I could do about it...”

“Listen Ali, I’m fine with it really…”

“No…that’s not what I mean.”

She turned around just at the right moment and indicated with a nod of her head to the deep end of the swimming pool. There was a raucous noise of splashing and yelling coming from that end of the pool. Daniel looked closer and groaned loudly. It seemed as if the whole Cobra Kai dojo had decided to come in and claim that area of the pool. He saw the familiar faces of Dutch, Tommy and Bobby, splashing and dunking each other. Thankfully, they had not noticed Daniel standing only a few feet away.

His eyes automatically, without thought or reason continued to scan the pool looking for the one face that he knew would be amongst the group. His heartbeat raced ahead of him and he began to tremble. ‘Where was he?’

Someone was pulling himself up on the pool ladder at the far end of the pool. The water cascaded off of his tanned skin. His blonde hair slicked back, wet, close against his head, strong arms pulling at the ladder flexing the muscles in his chest. Daniel stood mesmerized. It was as if the whole world had lost its sound and the noise, people talking and even Ali’s voice as she stood next to him had become muffled.

He was wearing nothing but a red speedo and a pair of swim goggles. The well-defined muscles on his chest betrayed nothing in his imagination. Yes, he had had the rare privilege of feeling the definition of those abs under his unskilled fingertips before. Daniel flashed back to nights of not so long ago, where what stood in front of him, belonged to him. He had just never seen him like this…in the daylight…in the open. Daniel swallowed several times. The knot in his throat almost making him choke.

“Daniel…DANIEL??!!”

“Huh?”

“Are you listening to me?”

“Yeah…(distracted)…Yeah...Uhm…sorry what were you saying?”

“I was saying I’m sorry that those guys are here too. My dad and theirs are all a part of the same country clubs. I apparently don’t have a say in who my friends are and which people I want here or not.”

Daniel was fretfully chewing at his thumbnail. It would only be a matter of time before he was spotted, either by Johnny or one of his gang. He didn’t know what was going to happen in a setting like this. He felt somewhat protected by the adult presence, but they could be so clueless at times, they could probably just kill him there and say Daniel was practicing his “dead man’s float” in the deep end.

“Come on, Daniel…let’s just forget about those guys and try and make the best of it, ok?”

“Nah…maybe I should just get going…I mean you know the history between me and them.”

“Please…PLEASE don’t go! I need you to stay here with me!! I really want you to have a good time. Let’s just ignore them and maybe they’ll all get out of here soon.”

Daniel had not taken his eyes off of the group. He always needed to have a way out when those guys were around. He didn’t want to have to start business in front of all of these people. He looked down at Ali’s distressed face, and finally relented.

“You got hot dogs?”

Ali smiled wide. “The best!” She hopped up and down and grabbed Daniel in a bear hug. “Thank you, thank you!!”

Daniel spent most of his time eating. He had always been one of those kids with an amazing metabolism. He could eat a ton of food and it had no affect on him. He ate hot dogs, a loaded hamburger, a mountain of potato salad, potato chips, and four cans of soda…Ali encouraged him all the while. She liked to see a man with a healthy appetite. Susan and Barbara arrived and flocked around them both and Daniel began to relax. He hadn’t realized that they had gathered an audience and had been being watched for some time now.

Dutch had spotted him first. A look of pure evil crossed his eyes as he swatted Bobby on his chest and thumbed his attention over to the small group at the food tables. Bobby grinned and pushed the wet hair out of his eyes. Tommy had sprung up like a shark between them all and Dutch shoved him out of the way telling him to knock it off. They all stared the group down, but no one had noticed them. Johnny was sitting on the edge of the pool, his legs dangling in the water. He had noticed Daniel when he first arrived but kept quiet. He was sure the others would catch on on their own. He sighed when they did and looked back at Daniel and Ali. He knew it would be risky coming here today. He knew there was a good possibility that Daniel would be at the party and was not disappointed when he was right. He wanted to let Daniel see what he was missing, when in reality he was just missing him. He had tried reasoning with Ali when she got in his face for being there. He missed her too, terribly. He wanted them both for one reason or another and it was killing him inside. He only knew if he had to be miserable there he was going to make it miserable for them as well.

“Hey Johnny…you see who fucking showed up?”

“I don’t believe this shit!”

“Yeah what are we gonna do about this?”

“She wanted him here…what can I do?”

“You can go over there and kick his ass! He needs to know he just can’t show his dweeby little ass up anywhere he feels like!!”

“Yeah it’s the beach all over again! You gonna stand for that, Johnny?”

“Yeah go show him he just can’t come in here and trash your rep man!”

“What am I gonna do, fight him looking like this?”

“What does it matter…you can kick his ass looking like anything. You can’t let him take your girl. No Mercy!!”

Johnny stood up and shook his hair until it hung in his eyes. The other’s had exited the pool and stood behind him. Johnny’s fists clenched and un-clenched his jaw tight. Familiar threads of anger twisted inside of him. He looked at Daniel and Ali, laughing and happy, he was feeding her a cheeto from a large bowl and she was nipping playfully at his fingers. The atmosphere changed drastically when they approached. Daniel had stopped mid-sentence when he felt his skin prickling. He knew this was not good. He looked up into sharp, piercing blue eyes with no emotion behind them. He had let his guard down and now he was caught…trapped.

“What the hell are you doing here?”

“Now hold on a minute, Johnny…” Ali said standing in front of Daniel blocking them both.

“Stay out of this Ali…this is between me and him.”

“I asked him to come here…I didn’t ask you!”

“Yeah but I’m here and you were supposed to talk to me today. We were gonna work this out!”

Daniel looked between Ali and Johnny. Johnny was ignoring Daniel and had turned his full attention to Ali.

“There’s nothing to work out! My dad invited you here.”

“That’s not what you told me yesterday.”

Daniel was beginning to get suspicious. He kept his eyes on the other guys in the group. They were looking at him with malice and threatening glares. One false move and he was done. He looked around the rest of the backyard. No one seemed to be aware of what was going on.

“Johnny what are you…?”

“Listen Ali…you need to stop this craziness. We had a fight…couples fight…they just don’t go running off into someone else’s arms.” He tossed a hateful glare in Daniels direction.

 _‘What Twilight Zone episode was this?’_ Daniel wondered.

“Johnny…what the hell man?” Daniel said with emphasis.

“Stay out of this LaRusso…I told you not to get involved. You never listen!”

Mocking laughter from behind Johnny spurred him on.

“Maybe you should teach him a lesson…”

“Yeah!!”

“Look I don’t want no trouble here today, alright?” Daniel said trying to de-escalate.

“You brought trouble when you showed up!” Johnny shoved his shoulder. He was getting geared up.

“Hey stop it! I’m going to ask you to leave if you don’t knock it off. I don’t care what my parents say.” Ali said still not moving.

“I’m not going anywhere until we talk!”

They all stood there at an impasse. Daniel broke the silence. “I’ve had enough of this. I’m taking off. You guys are full of shit. No one was messing with you and you have to start shit all the time.”

“Well… _bye_.” Dutch said snickering.

“I’m sorry Ali…this just seems like a set-up and I’d rather not if you don’t mind. I’ll see ya around.”

Ali stood back in shock. She turned and ran toward her house. Susan looked back at all the guys. “Bunch of jerks…the lot of you.” She and Barbara went to console their friend.

Daniel started back to the house. He knew he should never have come here today. This was ridiculous he knew he should have left when he saw them. He was conflicted and he just wanted to go home.

“Hey get your sorry ass back over here…this isn’t over!” Dutch yelled threateningly at Daniel’s retreating form.

“Look…let me go and handle this. Stay here, you guys…I’ll make sure he gets the message.”

Johnny followed Daniel until he turned the corner of the house. There was a patch of side yard with trees and a gardening shed. Daniel was about to reach the back door when Johnny grabbed his arm and hauled him over to side and pushed him roughly up against the wall. Daniel’s bare skin scrapped along the house’s exterior and he winced at the forcefulness.

“Johnny…what are you doing?” He ineffectively shoved at the un-moving block of flesh of Johnny’s bare chest.

“I could ask you the same, LaRusso!” Johnny said in desperate hushed tones.

“You knew I’d be here.”

“I’m not talking about that! Enough is enough! I can’t take it anymore!”

“What are you talking about?”

Johnny placed both of his hands at either side of Daniel’s head against the house, pinning him there. Daniel looked around him, no one had followed…no one was around…they were alone.

“You know goddamn well what I’m talking about.”

“We’re going to be seen.”

“I don’t care.” Johnny leaned in closer and breathed in Daniel’s scent at the side of his neck. He smelled of Coppertone and heat from the sun. He watched a bead of sweat trickle from his neck to the smooth plane of undefined chest.

“You’re fucking turning me on…” He growled low.

“I…I can’t do this now…It’s not fair to her.”

“Of course it’s not…you knew it wasn’t when we started this.”

Johnny nosed his way across Daniel’s clavicle, placing hesitant kisses on sweaty skin. He knew he was testing his limits. Daniel thudded his head against the house.

“Stop…we can’t…I want…”

“What do you want?” Johnny said thrusting his speedo against Daniel’s swim trunks. Both boys gasped at the contact.

“It’s been too long…” Daniel half-lidded his eyes as Johnny trailed a finger from his chest to the top of his trunks.

“Let’s get outta here.”

“Lead the way.”

_More than this, there is nothing…_

**Author's Note:**

> Try REAL hard to get that image of Johnny in a speedo out of your heads....I dare you....MMUUWUWHAHAHAHAHA!!! I'm gonna be over ----> now...*fans self*


End file.
